A Seattle Shelter Is Giving Away Free Black Cats on Black Friday

Thanks to some persistent superstition, black cats are believed to be notoriously difficult for adoption agencies and humane shelters to place in homes. That’s why Seattle Humane in Bellevue, Washington is offering free adoptions for inky-black cats this coming Black Friday.

According to data collected by The Huffington Post in 2013, more than a quarter of respondents felt color was “important or very important” when selecting a new cat, while 13 percent of Americans find it unsettling when a black cat crosses their path. Sounds like a bad combination. But in a separate analysis done by the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), researchers found that black cats made up more than 30 percent of overall adoptions—the Society argued that perpetuating the myth only helps reinforce it.

That hasn't seemed to slow the promotions down, however. Recently, a Nevada shelter advertised them as “mini-panthers” and successfully rehomed 18 of them.

The Seattle shelter plans on being a free black-kitty dispensary from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, November 25. Adoption fees usually range from $25 to $125.